Polite Reminders and Requests

Now that it looks like spring is here, it's a great time for some friendly reminders and requests.  Golfers play a major role in course conditions.  Following these steps will make your course better:

• Ball Marks!!!

For a small private club, with relatively little play, we have a huge number of ball marks on every green.  Even if you don't hit the green from far enough to make a mark, you can still find one to repair.  If you do leave a mark, it's ok to fix more than one.

• Cart Traffic when conditions allow for carts to leave the path...

1. Do not leave the path until you've passed the first white topped post.  Please return to the path before you pass the second white topped post.  These posts do not mark the exact point at which you must exit and enter the path, but rather they highlight the first and last place you should do so.  Exit and enter the path anywhere between the two white topped posts.  
2. Never drive in the rough except when getting from the path to the fairway and back.  In other words do not enter the rough on the far side of any hole.  
3. When parking at the tees and greens, keep all four tires on the path.  
4. Do not leave the path on any of the par 3s. 
5. No more than two carts in a group may leave the path on any given hole.  We encourage you to pair up whenever possible. 

Being dry doesn't automatically mean that carts can leave the path.  From time to time we must apply fertilizer or chemicals to the turf.  When we do, we may need to keep carts on the path for a day or two.  Also, drought stressed turf and frozen ground will require that carts stay on the path.  We hate keeping carts on the path but not as much as we hate poor turf conditions.

• Divots

1. Fill your divots in the fairways and rough with the sand we provide in the box at 1 tee and/or the bottles found on the club's carts.  
2. Be meticulous when you fill any divot so that the mower reels don't get damaged.  
3. During the primary golf season the white tees on the par 3s have divot sand bottles for those players to use on tees.   Tee divots on all other tee boxes will be filled by staff.   

• Bunkers

Rake carefully after playing a shot, don't step in or out from the high side, and place the rakes neatly just outside the bunker.  

• Putting Green

1. When practicing on the putting green, please avoid standing in one place for more than a few putts at a time.  
2. Practice putting with range balls is discouraged, but if you use them, please return them to the tee area when finished.  A putting green littered with range balls is unsightly and creates unnecessary work for the golf shop staff and/or the maintenance staff.  
3. Don't chip to the putting green

•  Chipping Green

1. Repair ball marks just as you would on the course.  
2. Please do not hit full shots to the chipping green from the range tee.  The chipping green is for short game practice.  All full swings should be directed to the range fairway.  
3. Rake the practice bunkers just as you would on the course.

• Practice Tee

1. Use the designated hitting area at all times.  Sometimes this is the mats.  
2. Do not park your cart on the tee.
3. Follow the bold signage on the tee that contains instructions for proper divot patterns. 
4. Do not hit driver from the tee if you know you can hit it out of the back end of the range.  Generally a 250 yard carry is safe.  If you can fly it over 250 yards, then please don't hit driver unless the hitting area is set up on the back half of the tee.  

• Miscellaneous Polite Requests

1. Do not spray insect repellent or sunscreen while standing on grass.  It will kill grass.
2. Do not cut through the golf course to get to the golf shop unless the course has yet to open for the day. 
3. Never drive backwards down hole 1 to get to the golf shop.  This is a safety issue at the shop, a turf care issue at the tee and green, and an etiquette issue for golfers playing the hole.  
4. Throw broken tees in the trash
5. If removing the flagstick, place it on the ground rather than tossing it.
6. Now that golfers are allowed to putt with the flagstick in the hole, it's more difficult to remove the ball.  Be careful not to damage the edge of the hole when reaching in to get your ball.  
7. Check with the golf shop before starting on any hole other than 1.  Maintenance is planned and scheduled around golf that starts on hole 1.  
8. Make sure maintenance staff are safely out of the way before playing any shot
9. Get a friend to join the club

All of these things impact the condition of the course and the expense involved in caring for it.  Thank you for taking time to read through this long list.